As the winner of the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic
(played in March) was to be determined by the winner of this match, the
Bulldogs would fight to earn the victory and the crown.

Clinching the match for the Bulldogs Sunday was 27th-ranked
Artem Ilyushin in the top spot, where he rallied from a set down to lift State
to victory in a key comeback win. Dropping the first set 6-4, Ilyushin would
battle back to take the second 6-3 and send the match to a third. Taking an
early 2-0 lead, Ilyushin pushed his lead to 5-2 and served out to down his 36th-ranked
Volunteer foe, Libietis, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Ilyushin has now won six matches against opponents ranked in
the top-40. Along with his impressive play at the Blue Gray in late February and the match-clincher today, Ilyushin was named the Most Valuable Player at of the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic.

The day began with MSU taking the opening doubles point.

MSU's duo of George Coupland and Ilyushin
ousted UT's pair of Jarryd Chaplin and Brandon Fickey in an early 8-5 decision
on court 2. However, the Vols would quickly answer as the 19th-ranked
duo of Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese downed No. 23 Louis Cant and Malte
Stropp of MSU 8-5 in the top spot, leaving the doubles clincher in the third
position.

Battling at No. 3 for MSU was the duo of Zach White and
Ethan Wilkinson. Facing UT's pair of Bryan Swartz and Edward Jones, both teams
held serve until the MSU duo was able to hold at 7-6 and break the Vols to take
the match 8-6 and the doubles point for MSU.

Swinging to singles play, Tennessee would put up a fight as
they took four out of six first sets from the Bulldogs.

The first to finish was MSU's White where he quickly downed
his Volunteer foe Taylor Patrick, 6-2, 6-3 on court 6, extending State's lead
to 2-0.

Tennessee's Jones would answer with the Vols' first point of
the day, ousting MSU's 41st-ranked Coupland in the fifth spot 6-3,
6-4, closing the gap to 2-1. Evening the match for UT was Chaplin as he downed
MSU's 37th-ranked Cant 6-4, 6-3 on court 4.

Battling in the No. 2 position for MSU was junior James
Chaudry as he claimed a grueling match to regain the lead for State with a 6-4,
6-3 triumph over UT's 95th-ranked Reese. That set up Ilyushin's
match-clinching victory at No. 1.

With the final match in a third set on court 3, MSU's 75th-ranked
Stropp was battling Fickey of Tennessee. Dropping the first set 6-3, Stropp
would fight back and take the second 6-4. With both sides holding serve to 5-5, Fickey would hold to 6-5 and break to take the match 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.

MSU will now take a couple of weeks off until the team resumes
play against the ninth-ranked Gators of Florida on Friday, March 23, at 5 p.m.
ET in Gainesville, Fla.